MISSOULA, Mont. — Montana’s Republicans in Congress praised President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night.
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Here is the statement from Sen. Steve Daines:
“Tonight, President Trump sent a clear message to Montanans, and all Americans. The state of our union is strong.
“Our economy is booming.
“We have the lowest unemployment in over 50 years. Middle class wages are at an all-time high.
“We are delivering on our promise of less government and more jobs.
“We are on a trade winning streak. Over the last 120 days, President Trump has secured trade deals with our four largest trading partners—Canada, Mexico, China, and Japan.
“This is a big win for Montana’s farmers and ranchers.
“Under President Trump, we are cutting burdensome regulations that hurt Montana jobs.
“We are securing American energy dominance.
“We’re confirming conservative judges to the bench at a historic pace we’ve already confirmed over 180 judges appointed by President Trump.
“These are lifetime appointments, shaping our courts and protecting our Montana way of life for generations to come.
“We are supporting our veterans.
“And we are working to lower the cost of prescription drugs.
“We are prioritizing paid family leave which would help over 13,000 Montanans.
“President Trump isn’t afraid to put America first.
“We are securing our southern border and stopping the flow of Mexican meth devastating our Montana communities.
“We are giving our law enforcement the tools they need to protect Montana families.
“We are giving our troops the pay raises they deserve, and our military is stronger than ever.
“America is winning under President Trump.
“I applaud President Trump for delivering for Montanans and the American people, and I commend him for a strong State of the Union Address tonight.”
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Here is Rep. Greg Gianforte’s statement:
“President Trump tonight delivered a clear, optimistic message that resonates with so many Americans – the state of our union is strong.
“President Trump has kept his promises and brought the American dream into greater reach for more Montanans. How do we know? Our economy is growing stronger. We’re getting better trade deals for America. And we’re making progress on securing our border.
“Across the country, our economy is strong. Unemployment is at a 50 year low. Wages are growing at their fastest rate in a decade, and the gains for lower-paid workers are beating those of their bosses. Cutting taxes and red tape are working.
“I recently was talking with a water well driller in the Bitterroot. He recently bought a new drilling rig and has more work than he can handle. It’s a sharp turnaround from where he and his business were a few years ago.
“He also told me something happened that he hasn’t seen in his twenty years of drilling water wells. A delivery of steel water well casings showed up that were stamped “Made in America.” They’re even painted red, white, and blue. This is great news.
“I recently joined President Trump at the White House where he signed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. A win for Montana ag, this trade agreement ensures our producers have access to our biggest trading partners.
“But it doesn’t stop with Canada and Mexico. We have new trade agreements with China, Japan, South Korea, and Europe. These deals benefit our farmers, ranchers, manufacturers, and businesses. President Trump deserves a lot of credit for delivering trade agreements that work for America and Montana.
“Under President Trump, we’re making America more secure. We’re taking back more control at our borders and working to reduce the flow of illegal drugs pouring into our communities. Abroad, we’re taking the necessary steps to protect our troops and our allies.
“Nationally, we’re seeing more jobs, higher wages, better trade deals, a more secure border – all great news. Imagine, for a moment, if we took a page from the national playbook so that more Montanans could have access to greater opportunities.
“I look forward to continuing to work with President Trump and other lawmakers to bring all Montanans closer to the American dream.
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NBC Montana did reach out to Sen. Jon Tester for a statement, we have yet to hear back.